Health care providers employed in the profession and working in direct care, per 100,000 population, by type of professional and province/territory

Calculation: Description

Calculated by dividing the number of registered health care providers working in direct care in each province/territory by population estimates and multiplying by 100,000

(Number of health care providers employed in the profession and working in direct care by province/territory ÷ Population estimate) × 100,000

Unit of Analysis: Service provider per 100,000 population

Calculation: Geographic Assignment

Place of service

Calculation: Type of Measurement

Rate - Rate per 100,000

Calculation: Adjustment Applied

None

Calculation: Method of Adjustment

Not applicable

Denominator

Description:
Total population in a Canadian province/territory or in a health regionInclusions:
Provincial/territorial or regional population estimates from Statistics Canada

Numerator

Description:
Number of health care providers employed in the profession and working in direct careInclusions:

Active registered health care providers employed in the profession and working in direct care

Additional inclusion criteria vary by type of professional.

Exclusions:

Health care providers not employed in the profession

Health care providers employed in education, research and administration

Inactive registrants or health care providers who did not register in a Canadian province or territory

Additional exclusion criteria vary by type of professional.

Background, Interpretation and Benchmarks

Rationale

Based on World Health Organization (WHO) National Health Workforce Accounts indicator 1-03: Density of Active Health Workers per 1,000 Population by Cadre and at Subnational Level, this indicator provides information on the density and distribution of health workers. It can support the assessment of health services and resources at the provincial/territorial levels.

Interpretation

A measure of access to health care providers

A low or high ratio may be desirable; interpretations should be evaluated alongside other relevant data (e.g., population need, models of care, mix of health care providers).

HSP Framework Dimension

Health System Inputs and Characteristics: Efficient allocation of resources